Manchester City Council to spend £6m on cutting carbon emissions from seven local buildings
The National Football Museum, Wythenshawe Active Lifestyle Centre, and The Place at Platt Lane are just some of the buildings to benefit from decarbonisation.
Manchester City Council is to spend almost £6 million on further work to reduce carbon emissions from buildings across Manchester.
In what is said to be another step towards the Council’s ambitious goal of halving its direct carbon emissions by 2025 as it works towards the region-wide target of becoming carbon neutral by 2038, a whopping £4.9 million in Government funding for work to reduce emissions has now been secured.
With a further Council contribution of £1 million, almost £6 million will now be spent on delivering a scheme to cut emissions from seven significant buildings across Manchester.
According to the Council, the funding has been awarded in the latest round of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme – which is being delivered by Salix Finance as part of a joint bid along with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)
A previous £19.1 million awarded under the scheme has already seen work to reduce emissions in 13 council buildings – including the National Aquatics Centre, National Cycling Centre, and Town Hall Extension.
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The buildings set to benefit from decarbonisation with this funding are:
The National Football Museum
Wythenshawe Active Lifestyle Centre
Claremont Resource Centre
Harpurhey District Social Services
Hall Lane Resource Centre
The Place at Platt Lane
One Central Park (Arbeta)
The National Football Museum is one of the buildings set to benefit from decarbonisation work / Credit: Manchester City Council
The latest scheme will predominantly be used for the installation of air source heat pumps, the Council explained, with additional funding to be allocated or the use of solar photovoltaic panels and LED lights “where appropriate”.
Speaking on the funding win, Councillor Tracey Rawlins – Executive Member for Environment for Manchester City Council – said: “Council buildings are our biggest source of direct emissions.
“Taking action to retrofit these buildings and significantly improve their energy efficiency is one of the ways we are facing up to the urgent challenge of climate change.
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The Wythenshawe Active Lifestyle Centre and The Place at Platt Lane are two other buildings set for decarbonisation work / Credit: WCHG | The Place
“I am pleased that we have been able to secure further funding to support this ambition.
“We will continue to pursue the potential for retrofitting, whether for our buildings or the city’s wider housing stock.”
“We are delighted to be working with Manchester City Council on the decarbonisation journey,” added Arthur Jones – Programme Co-ordinator at Salix Finance.
“This will have a significant impact for the wider community as a whole.”
Featured Image – GMCA
News
Dame Sarah Storey is going on Strictly Come Dancing 2026
Danny Jones
Record-breaking local athlete and Paralympian, Dame Sarah Storey, is set to become the latest to join the Strictly Come Dancing annals.
With the Strictly cast for 2026 steadily being unveiled, we always keep an eye out for the Greater Manchester names in particular.
That being said, we’re buzzing to see the hugely successful Stockport swimmer turned cyclist will be swapping her Team GB kit for sparkly, sequined ballroom gowns and an entirely different type of sport and fitness.
Announced on Friday, 17 July, Storey is the seventh celebrity to be confirmed for the 24th series of the hit BBC show and dancing competition.
Having represented her country not only at nine Paralympics but across two different disciplines after switching to the racing bike back in 2005, she’s our most decorated competitor in the entire history of the Games with 30 medals to her name – 19 of which are gold.
Absolute GOAT levels.
But now the Cheadle Hulme-born is once again set to show her versatility to see how she fares on the dance floor later this year.
Commenting ahead of the new-look season which starts this September, the 48-year-old said: “Embarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting.
“I have always loved watching Strictly, and my daughter Louisa is a very talented dancer, so to be able to learn from the best and hopefully understand even more about her world is incredibly motivating! I can’t wait to get started!”
This latest sea-change comes not long after the local legend and sporting icon officially announced her retirement from professional sport more than three decades on from first bursting onto the scene.
Thank you for taking the time to leave all the incredible messages. It’s so wonderful to read them and thank you for being the greatest supporters 🥰
— Dame Sarah Storey (@DameSarahStorey) July 9, 2026
What a career she’s had; it obviously didn’t take her long to get tired of sitting still for once, either.
She will be joined by the likes of Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer and Will Best.
In case you missed it, the upcoming edition of Strictly Come Dancing will be the first since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and pro dancer Johannes Radebe stepping in as replacements.
In other starring Stockport news, we’ve finally got more info on the final season of a popular programme filmed in the area. Find out more down below.
Two more people arrested as investigation into Dovestone Reservoir moorland fire continues
Emily Sergeant
Two more people have been arrested as part of the ongoing investigation into the devastating moorland fire near Dovestone Reservoir.
Yesterday (16 July 2026), a 19-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of arson and has been bailed pending further police enquiries, before a man in his 20s has today (17 July) been arrested on suspicion of arson, and remains in custody for questioning.
These follow the arrest and subsequent charging of 20-year-old Shania Care-Slede, from Hyde.
Care-Slede has been charged with aggravated arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, and dangerous driving, and was remanded in custody before appearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court this past Tuesday (14 July).
After the blaze broke out this past Saturday evening (11 July) at the popular beauty spot in Oldham, prompting a major multi-agency response, fire crews from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) have been working around the clock in challenging conditions to contain the fire and prevent further spread across the moorland.
Specialist wildfire resources, command support units, drone technology, and partner agencies have also been deployed as operations continue across multiple sectors of the incident.
To make matters worse, ‘strong’ winds carried smoke across parts of Greater Manchester – with reports of haze and the smell of burning being received from areas well beyond the immediate vicinity of the fire.
With three major arrests having already now been made, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says its officers are continuing to pursue a number of lines of enquiry and are seeking to identify any other individuals who may have been involved.
“This investigation has been progressing at pace, we are nearly a week on and the fire at Dovestones is still ongoing, and it has had devastating effects it has had on the Reservoir,” commented Detective Inspector Andrew Day, of GMP’s Oldham division said.
“As this incident continues, officers would like to thank all emergency service partners for their support and dedication.
“In particular, our colleagues at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, whose firefighters have spent countless hours tackling the fire in demanding conditions.”
Emily Sergeant -
3rd June 2022 
